{{Short description|File search utility for Windows}} {{use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}<!-- Because the developer is from South Australia --> {{Infobox software | name = Everything | logo = Everything (software) icon.png | logo size = 55px | screenshot = Everything 1.4.1 (software) screenshot.png | screenshot size = 300px | caption = Everything running on Windows 10 | developer = David Carpenter | released = {{start date and age|2004|12|22|df=y}}<ref name=changelog /> | latest release version = 1.4.1.1030 | latest release date = {{Start date and age|2025|09|04|df=yes}}<ref name=changelog>{{cite web |url=http://www.voidtools.com/Changes.txt |title=Everything change log |website=Voidtools|date= |author=}} Updated with new releases.</ref> | latest preview version = 1.5 Alpha | latest preview date = {{Start date and age|2025|01|05|df=yes}}<ref>{{cite web | title = Everything 1.5 Alpha – Changes | website = VoidTools Forum | url = https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=9787#changes | access-date = 2025-02-13 }}</ref> | operating system = Windows NT 4.0, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10, 11 | genre = Desktop search | license = MIT License }} '''Everything''' is a freeware desktop search utility for Windows that can rapidly find files and folders by name. While the binaries are licensed under a permissive licence identical to the MIT License,<ref>[https://www.voidtools.com/License.txt "Everything – Copyright (C) 2024 voidtools"] {{retrieved|access-date=9 October 2024}}</ref> it is not open-source.
==Overview== When Everything first runs, it creates an index of the names of every file and folder on all NTFS and ReFS volumes<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://voidtools.com/support/everything/indexes/#refs|title=Indexes – voidtools|website=voidtools.com|access-date=2017-12-03}}</ref> on the system from file metadata, in the case of NTFS from the NTFS Master File Table.<ref>{{cite web|last=Carpenter|first=David|url=http://forum.voidtools.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=403#p853|title=Re: Any way to schedule when it does it's indexing?|date=2009-08-08|access-date=2009-10-30}}</ref> By default, all mounted NTFS and ReFS<ref name=":0" /> volumes are indexed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://support.voidtools.com/everything/Using|title=Using "Everything"|website=voidtools.com|access-date=2009-10-30|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091030223943/http://support.voidtools.com/everything/Using|archivedate=2009-10-30}}</ref> Once created, the index is continually updated by the application; in the case of NTFS the updates are fetched from the NTFS change journal.<ref>{{cite web|last=Carpenter|first=David|url=http://forum.voidtools.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=295#p491|title=Re: How "Everything" doesn't miss changes when not running|website=voidtools.com|date=2009-05-22|access-date=2009-10-30|ref=none}}</ref>
Specific folders on any file system can also be added to the index, but the indexing of folders not using NTFS or ReFS will be slow,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://voidtools.com/support/everything/folder_indexing/|title=Folder Indexing – voidtools|website=voidtools.com|access-date=2017-12-03}}</ref> although searching using the completed index will not be.
Regardless of the file system used on the indexed drives and folders, Everything searches its index for file names matching a user search expression, which may be a fragment of the target file name or a regular expression,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.voidtools.com/faq.php#Searching|title=Everything FAQ – Searching|website=voidtools.com|access-date=2009-10-30}}</ref> displaying intermediate and immediate results as the search term is entered. <!--The change journal lists changes to files in the order in which the changes were made.<ref>{{cite web|title=The NTFS File System|url=http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc976808.aspx|publisher=Microsoft, Inc.|access-date=2009-10-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa363803%28VS.85%29.aspx|title=Change Journal Records|publisher=Microsoft, Inc.|date=2009-10-22|access-date=2009-10-30}}</ref> It is maintained by NTFS itself to ensure the integrity of the file system.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa363798%28VS.85%29.aspx|title=Change Journals|publisher=Microsoft, Inc.|date=2009-10-22|access-date=2009-10-30}}</ref> By searching change journal records in the reverse order they were added, file names are tested against the search expression in the order they were most recently changed, which is often close to the order in which they were most recently used. By walking the change journal this way and sorting match results dynamically as it proceeds, Everything can "find" a file extremely quickly,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://download.cnet.com/Everything/3000-2379_4-10890746.html|title=Everything 1.2.1.371|publisher=cnet.com|access-date=2009-10-30}}</ref> particularly a file that has been recently created or edited.-->
Since Everything does not index content and, for NTFS drives, relies only on the NTFS change journal to filter file updates, the only file system activity it requires on NTFS drives is updating its index, and it uses very little memory and processor time to provide its service when only indexing NTFS and ReFS drives.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.voidtools.com/faq.php#Everything|title=Everything FAQ – Everything|website=voidtools.com|access-date=2009-10-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Larkin|first=Erik|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/164021/find_your_files_for_free_with_everything_search_engine.html|title=Find Your Files for Free With Everything Search Engine|website=PC World|date=2009-05-18|access-date=2009-10-30|archive-date=2009-08-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090819012703/http://www.pcworld.com/article/164021/find_your_files_for_free_with_everything_search_engine.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Take Command Console incorporates the internal command <code>everything</code> to allow command line access to the program.<ref>[https://jpsoft.com/help/everything.htm "everything"], documentation, jpsoft.com</ref>
==Security concerns== Because Everything requires access to the NTFS change journal, it must run with administrator privileges, either in a privileged user account or as a Windows service. As a Windows service it can expose search functionality to accounts without administrator privileges.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/d56de412%28VS.80%29.aspx|title=Introduction to Windows Service Applications|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=2009-10-30}}</ref> However, Everything does not filter search results by client privileges before displaying them, so that every user can see every file names on a volume.
==Development status== No updates of Everything were issued from November 2009 to January 2013.<ref name=announce>{{cite web|url=http://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=9|website=voidtools.com/forum|title=Announcements}}</ref> Since then the program has received many updates.<ref name=changelog /><ref name=announce />
==Similar alternatives== Other notable search engines that use the same technique of Everything of directly accessing the NTFS (file system) index to expedite search queries: * NTFS-Search (last updated 5 July 2017)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sourceforge.net/projects/ntfs-search/|title=NTFS-Search|date=5 July 2017 |publisher=SourceForge}}</ref> and SwiftSearch (last updated 6 July 2019)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sourceforge.net/projects/swiftsearch/|title=SwiftSearch|date=6 July 2019 |publisher=SourceForge}}</ref> – both open source * UltraSearch by Jam Software (functionally limited free version of commercial software)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jam-software.com/ultrasearch/|title=UltraSearch|publisher=Jam Software}}</ref> – freeware
==See also== *{{Section link|List of search engines|Desktop search engines}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== * [http://www.refolder.com/index.php/2009/02/everything-search-engine-review/ Everything Search Engine Review], Refolder * [https://www.osjoy.com/everything-desktop-search-engine.html/ Everything Search – Best Desktop Search Engine for Win10], detailed description, osjoy.com, 19 December 2018
==External links== * {{Commons category-inline}} * {{Official website}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Everything (Software)}} Category:Desktop search engines Category:Freeware Category:Utility software for Windows